By The King's Side
by Dr Murdock Kawfi
Summary: I wrote this a long, long time ago, and now I'm editing it and putting it up for all of you to read. It takes place in a world of my own invention, not Japan. I hope you all enjoy it!


Sango stretched and then got up out of bed. It was a clear morning in all respects, the birds tweeting happily around her. She turned and rolled up the small bed roll, stuffing it back into her back carefully, thinking. Her ears were listening for any unusual sound around her. She leaned over and brushed the soot out of her fire ring from last night, even though it made her hands black with soot. Expertly, she struck a spark and started some twigs burning as she reached for her last log and threw it on. She stared into the flames, waiting for it to catch, and when it had, she turned and walked to the creek just a few yards away to catch fish for breakfast. Luckily, her sharpened pole was still there. She took it in her hands and waded out into the creek, waiting. The water sparkled around her as she slipped into her thoughts, unaware that a single tear was running down her nose. It fell into the water without a sound, making little ripples that expanded.

...She was standing outside her house, waiting. Down the path she saw a man's head slowly materialize, growing into shoulders, a body, and a strange, flat shape. She frowned. What could it be? He was bent over, carrying the thing on his back as he approached their house.  
Her mother came out behind her, "Sango dear, go help your father." She said, pulling the child's hair back and tyeing it with a ribbon.  
She looked up, almost upside down, into her mother's face and smiled, "What does he have?"  
"I don't know dear, go see." She urged.

Sango ran down the path towards her father, almost tripping once, but managed to get there. "Daddy!" She cried, trying to hug his legs as he toiled. "What is that?" She asked.

"It's a boomerang." He said "I found it outside the village years ago..." He heaved it up further onto his back to keep it from slipping off.

"What's it for?" She tugged on his sleeve.

"I think it's a weapon." He smiled, "But more importantly..." He made groaning noise as he got it off of his back and set it down, leaning it against the wall of their house. "It's yours." He smiled.

"MINE?"She asked in disbelieve, her jaw dropping slightly.

"Yours." He smiled, panting, since he was tired, and leaned down, kissing her forehead...

Hiraikotsu... her pride and joy. She never knew where her father had found it, but she trained with it night and day, until she could throw it faster and harder then seemed humanly possible. But it was all gone now. She shook her head to snap herself out of it, reminding herself that concentrating on fishing was the important thing. A small fish came swimming up the stream, kissing her ankles. She waited for a moment for it to get away from her toes, and then in one fast, sudden movement, she speared it from above. It flailed around as she pulled it out of the water, almost pathetically. Carefully she pulled it off of the spear, holding it firmly by it's tail, and bashed it hard against a rock. It stopped wiggling. She got a better hold around the fish's body, and waded back to the bank, shaking off her numb feet as she got out. She took it back to camp, and then looked around the fire pit. Her last piece of kindling was there, a small stick that was bendy, but slightly sharp. Setting it aside to grill later, she took out her knife and started to gut the fish.

...It was the middle of the night, but Sango couldn't sleep. She was awake, sitting and looking at Hiraikotsu up on the wall. In her lap was a demon bone that had been scooped into a dish shape. The tools were all around her. She looked back over the pile of shaped bones that now made up her armor, and then picked up a paintbrush. It was nearly invisible in the dark, but she found it anyways, putting a lovely coat of paint over the bone.

"Sango?" Her older sister, Kagome, yawned as she came in, "What are you doing up?"  
"Nothing." She lied, putting the brush back in the container of paint. "Nothing at all."

"You're working on that thing again, aren't you?" She scolded, "Father will kill you if he finds you up."

She shrugged halfheartedly, "I just couldn't sleep." She admitted.  
"Well.. come on to bed." Kagome yawned again. A thump interrupted them.

"What was that?" Sango asked.

Kagome shrugged, "It came from outside." She whispered, suddenly wide awake, "I'll go check..." She grabbed her father's katana and slipped out the door.

Sang held her breath, listening. A moment later she could hear voices.

"Bring me the girl called Sango." A slick, sleazy voice ordered.

"Who?" Kagome lied.

There was a thump behind her, and Sango whirled around, but it was too late. A man grabbed her and slipped a hand tight over her mouth, a knife pressed to her throat. She tried to scream, but it was no use. After a moment she gave up fighting as they dragged her outside.

Kagome yelled and tried to get to her to help her sister, but was restrained by two men.

An important looking man on a horse motioned, and Sango was released. "Now..." he said, "You'll come with us."

"Why." She said it more like a statement then a question.

One of the men swung a punch, hitting Kagome in the eye and making her yell in pain.  
Sango flinched and opened her mouth to give in, but Kagome shook her head,

"Don't go with them!" She said softly in pain.  
One of the men hit her again, and her face split open, blood running down it.  
"Stop it!" Sango yelled, moving towards her sister.  
"What the hell is going on out here?" A man stood in the doorway of her home, her father.  
"Dad!" She called, "Help me!"  
Two more men came from the shadows and grabbed the father, holding him prisoner. "Do a thing, old man, and you die." The man on the horse hissed.  
He growled and strugged anyways, tearing one arm free and punching the other man restraining him. He got to his feet and started toward Kagome, but was held back again. His own sword, the one Kagome had tried to used, at his throat.  
"Come with us deary or your father dies." He threatened.  
"I'll come!" Sango promised, starting to cry.   
"No! Don't!" Her father yelled.  
The man rolled his eyes and waved his hand. The officer holding the sword swung...

...She finished gutting the fish and placed the meat on the twig, making sure it was secure. Then she held it in the fire to roast it, staring into the flames. Her face was wet with tears now, so much that she could hardly see. Her beloved father, killed before her eyes. She never saw his head come off, she turned away, unable to bear watching. Kagome had shut her eyes, screaming. That night was ingrained permanently into her memory. She knew she'd never be rid of it. She turned the fish again, waiting for it to cook.

...Her mother stepped outside and screamed, seeing the sight of carnage.

"Seize her!" The man on the horse ordered.

Guards swooped up and grabbed her arms, dragging her down beside her husband's body.  
"You wouldn't do it for your father... maybe your mother is closer to your sentiments."

"Don't!" Sango yelled, hoarse. She couldn't bear it... she just couldn't.

"Come with us then." He said.

"W-why?" She cried, falling to her knees, "What do you want from me?"

"Wrong answer."

She knew her other met the same fate as her father when Kagome screamed again, and then was silenced with a punch.

Her scream but short- she'd been knocked out.

Leaving her for dead, the men tore inside Sango's house, raiding it.

She watched in horror, it felt like seconds, but was probably actually a good few minutes. They emerged again with her father's weaponry, and her precious Hiraikotsu.

"Don't do this!" She yelled, crying. Through the blur of her tears she could vaguely see them light her house on fire. She got to her feet, and ran as hard as she could. She kept running and running, even though she knew they must have been right behind her, into the forest...

Sango bit into the fish. It was tasteless and bland, but it would nourish her for the journey. She wiped her eyes, and tried not to think about why she was here. Since that night her existence had become meaningless... all she did was sleep, eat, move on. Sleep, eat move on. It was so repetitive... she had no idea whether she'd been out here three days or three years. It hardly mattered anyways. She was going North, towards the border. Maybe in the next country she'd find shelter.

Finishing the fish, she stood and picked up her pack, kicking dirt over her fire to put it out, and grabbing the flint. He slipped it into her pocket and started off on foot, her mind blank now.

Suddenly the birds stopped chirping... Sango stopped and listened. She heard several muffled voices.

"We should look in the west." An unfamiliar voice said, "She's likely to flee to her parent's home." It probably belonged to an officer.  
The greasy voice of the man on the horse replied, "I know her better then you. We will search to the South, now come... she will not be far." There was rustling, and the sound of hooves walking off. She crept closer, peaking through the brush, and spotted something unusual... a downed horse. They must have left it for dead...

She waited until she heard the birds again to come forward and check on it. It was very much alive, just had a hurt foot... She picked up the hoof in question and looked it over. It needed trimming... she pulled the knife out and wiped the fish guts off on her clothes before starting to trip the horse's hooves.

A few minutes later, she had it standing. She walked it around in a circle to see if it was doing alright, and then mounted it. Travel would be faster this way. She gazed to the sky to determine the direction, and then started heading Northward again. She had no idea that the capitol city was dead in her path.


End file.
